UVlight cleans up dairy rinse water
Bolus helps banish watery mouth
WATERY mouth disease in lambs can now be countered using Bodyguard Lamb Boluses, claims maker Pye Milk Products.
Its antibody-containing boluses are available from vets and animal health suppliers and cost £52.50/100 (01524-597242).
Mat bathes cows feet in solution
A NEW liquid-holding mat to bathe cows feet before milking will help reduce lameness, says Andrew Cowman from supplier Ritchey Tagg.
The mat holds 30 litres of any liquid dip and is placed in the passage-way as cows enter the parlour. The cows foot indents the mat and bathes in liquid.
As cows go on to clean concrete for 10 minutes in the parlour, the solution has time to penetrate the foot before being diluted in the yard, Mr Cowman explains. The Hoof Mat will cost about £95 (01765-689541).
Silicone strength in butterfly valve
MILKING parlour butterfly valves made of silicone are longer lasting and more hygienic than those made using conventional materials, says supplier Silclear.
It claims its silicone butterfly valves stand up to robust operation and do not rot or perish, thereby avoiding conditions in which bacteria may flourish. The clear silicone valves make it easy to see milk flow and are simple to remove for cleaning and maintenance, it adds.
A 3.2cm (1.25in) in-line butterfly valve costs £12.96 and a 4cm (1.5in) valve costs £15.96
(01590-683969).
Calf dehorner runs longer, starts easier
CALF dehorning could be made easier after the addition of a new model to its award winning range, claims Ritchey Tagg.
While its original model runs for 30 minutes at temperatures of 600C (572F) on a single rechargeable reservoir of lighter fuel, the De-Horner II is said to run for one hour on a single charge. And a push-button ignition has been added for extra convenience, says the firm.
Cost is £87.50 for the mark II dehorner. An optional large de-horning tip is available for use with both models, priced £11.30 (01765-689541).
Loose feed in bins saves bag costs
BUYING loose feed and storing it in bulk bins could save up to £25/t on the cost of buying in bags, says Shearwell.
Its bins are made of exterior grade plywood and have sloping floors to the front for easy access to feed. Models are available for floor standing with a bucket trough or raised with dual bagging chute in 3, 4 or 6t sizes.
Bins are supplied flat packed and include the delivery pipe. A 3t bucket trough bin costs £460 and a dual bagging chute bin £522 (01643-841552).
Minerals given in
drinking water
CATTLE can be provided with all the main minerals and trace elements they need in their drinking water using Admins, claims manufacturer Dallas Keith.
Admins can be administered using a water proportioner system or in a water trough. It is said to be suitable for sucklers, heifers, milkers and dry cows. It contains magnesium, phosphorus, cobalt, copper, manganese, selenium and zinc.
Dallas Keith says cattle absorb a higher percentage of minerals when offered in a liquid form. In a dairy herd high yielders would drink more water and, therefore, automatically receive more minerals.
It recommends supplying 200ml a head a day for adult cattle or double this to protect animals against hypomagnesaemia.
Admins is supplied in 200-litre drums at £98 or in bulk deliveries of 1000-litres at 34p/litre (01993-773061).
UVlight cleans up dairy rinse water
ULTRAVIOLET light can disinfect water for rinsing refrigerated tanks after conventional cleaning with chemical disinfectants, says Ultraviolet Technology.
Without UV treatment fresh water supplies, such as those drawn from bore-holes and wells, can introduce bacteria, including E coli, it claims. This water could then contaminate milk in the tank.
Existing methods for improving poor water quality either employ chemicals, which would taint the milk, or use quartz tubes, which create glass fragments in the event of a breakage, it claims
This UV water disinfection system is said to be simple and economical to install, with low running costs. Independent trials prove that UV treatment kills 99.9% of all bacteria.
UV light from low pressure mercury lamps kills micro-organisms, unabsorbed light is re-reflected into the water to ensure optimum disinfection. The process takes between three and five seconds.
A basic unit for a typical dairy or a large farmhouse costs £440 or £520 with the optional lamp failure alert (01306-712636).